2026 NSFC-RS, FWO, NFWO, CAS and BRFFR Joint Collaboration and Exchange Program
2026年度国家自然科学基金委员会与英国、比利时、白俄罗斯、捷克科研资助机构合作交流项目
April 9, 2026
Sponsor:
National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC)
Royal Society of the United Kingdom (RS): Official Announcement in Chinese
The Research Foundation – Flanders of Belgium (FWO): Official Announcement in Chinese
The National Fund for Scientific Research of Belgium (FNRS): Official Announcement in Chinese
Czech Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CAS): Official Announcement in Chinese
Belarusian Foundation for Basic Research (BRFFR): Official Announcement in Chinese
About:
According to the cooperation agreement and subsequent consensus reached between the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) and the Royal Society (RS) of the United Kingdom, the Research Foundation – Flanders (FWO) of Belgium, the National Fund for Scientific Research (FNRS) of Belgium, the Czech Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (CAS), and the Belarusian Foundation for Basic Research (BRFFR), NSFC and the above-mentioned funding agencies will continue to jointly fund cooperation and exchange projects.
Project Description:
| Cooperating countries | United Kingdom | Belgium | Belgium | Belarus | The Czech Republic |
| Counterpart Funding Agency | RS | FWO | FNRS | BRFFR | CAS |
| Funding Areas | Mathematics and physics, Chemistry, Life Science, Earth Science, Engineering and Material Science, Information Science, Management Science, Medical Science | ||||
| Funding scale (number of projects) | About 70 projects | About 15 projects | About 10 projects | About 24 projects | About 3 projects |
| Funding Amount | The Chinese funding intensity shall not exceed RMB 150,000 per project, and foreign funding agencies shall provide corresponding funding to foreign partners. | ||||
| Allowable costs | International travel expenses (economy class air tickets) and accommodation, food, inter-city transportation and small bilateral seminar expenses for mutual visits between Chinese and foreign researchers. | ||||
| Project Period | 2 years. The research period in the application should be from January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2028 | ||||
| Special Requirements | Encourage new collaborations between China and the UK and involve young researchers (do not fund partnerships between individuals who have had prior colleague or supervisor-student relationships.) | Young researchers are encouraged to apply. PI and members in China should obtain their Ph.D. degree no earlier than 6/8/2014. | / | / | / |
Requirements:
- Chinese applicants must be currently undertaking (as the PI or participant) a NSFC project (except for cooperative exchange projects) with a duration of at least three years. The application must be based on this existing project. The cooperative exchange should be closely centered on the research content of the underlying NSFC project.
- Foreign collaborators should meet the eligibility requirements of counterpart funding agencies.
- Both Chinese and foreign applicants must submit project applications to the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the counterpart funding agency respectively. Applications submitted by one party alone will not be accepted.
- This project is an international (regional) cooperation and exchange project and is NOT included in the total number of applied and undertaken projects.
- It is NOT subject to the restriction that “applicants can only apply for one project of the same type in the same year”.
- The total number of cooperation and exchange projects under the same inter-organizational agreement framework that you have applied for as an applicant and are currently undertaking as a project leader is limited to one.
- Please refer to the 2026 NSFC Official Program Guide for more eligibility requirements.
Important Dates:
| DATES (Shanghai Time) | TO BE COMPLETED |
|---|---|
| By April 20, 2026 | Faculty who intend to apply should notify us at shanghai.researchgrants@nyu.edu. |
| By May 22, 2026 | Please send your application materials to us for an institutional review. |
| By 4PM June 3, 2026 | Applicants submit the final version of their applications online. |